Chương 65: The God-Inviting Method and the Secret of Wild Gods

Yu Yi wanted to see him? Su Zhe was baffled. Yu Yi was not a bad person, but Su Zhe had his own priorities right now. His goal was to find a backer within Swordsmith Villa—ideally by winning the favor of the Jadebody Uncle-Master Li Shanyun had mentioned. He had been busy from morning till night. In this world, everyone rushed about for one thing: cultivation. Su Zhe had almost forgotten Yu Yi existed.

"Yu Yi… could he be one of Wang Shan's pieces?"

"Is this meant to lure me out? But Wang Shan is fighting at Wild Goose Mountain right now." Su Zhe frowned in thought. After several days of refining the Golden Shackles, his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds. His inner force had become dozens of times purer, and its volume had steadily increased as well. He was now nearing the upper stage of the third rank. But his actual combat strength had climbed even higher.

With his innate talent and comprehension improving, his Flood Dragon Art was close to major mastery, and his Shadow Mantis Art was nearing minor mastery. These were treasure-grade arts. Judged individually, the Blacksmith Gang's three techniques could not compare to them. Only when the Three Spirits were united could their power rival a true treasure art. At this rate, Su Zhe's progress could only be called monstrous. In terms of raw strength, he thought back to Sun Tiexin's terrifying strike from before.

Su Zhe was confident he could defeat him now. Even if the three great leaders joined forces, Su Zhe believed he could hold his ground. And if he succeeded in fully melting the Golden Shackles and stepped into the upper stage of the third rank, then he was confident he could defeat someone on their level with a single blow. Martial artists were not all equal. Each minor stage was like a separate heaven. Fighting above one's rank was extraordinarily difficult. But Su Zhe was an exception.

"With greater skill comes greater courage. Besides, people like Wang Shan are still at Wild Goose Mountain."

"I have nothing to fear."

"In a world of martial cultivation, staying alive comes first. But if a warrior loses his courage and becomes afraid of his own shadow, he will never reach the peak." With that thought, Su Zhe made his decision. He would meet Yu Yi tonight. According to the disciples of the Hall of True Craft, Yu Yi had been extremely anxious when asking to see him. In the end, Su Zhe decided it was worth meeting him. Once that was settled, Su Zhe returned to his cultivation.

Inside the secret chamber of the Blacksmith Ancestor, Su Zhe opened two ancient books. One was the manual he had obtained after killing the Storehouse Keeper: Blood-Refining Divine Lord: The God-Inviting Method. The other was Strange Accounts of the Founding Emperor's Investiture of the Gods. The latter recorded: The Founding Emperor of Great Qian enfeoffed gods and aided them in their cultivation. These gods governed mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas.

Together with the great sects, they supported Great Qian and secured its empire. The Founding Emperor and the heroic spirits of many mighty figures jointly created the divine path, known as the Path of Incense Faith. Gods absorb incense faith and thereby gain long life and enduring sight. The divine path of incense faith is divided into two volumes. The first contains the Method of Becoming a God. The second contains the Method of Inviting a God.

Martial artists may also cultivate this path alongside their own, for it strengthens the soul and aids in condensing a Martial Yang Spirit.

"The divine path… incense faith…"

"It seems this world is far more mysterious than I imagined."

"I thought this was merely a low-level martial world. Yet there are actually gods. Though according to the records of Great Qian's Founding Emperor, these so-called gods are not especially lofty. They are closer to wild gods. Still, they are undeniably supernatural beings."

"And what is this Martial Yang Spirit? The divine path can help martial artists cultivate one?" Su Zhe frowned and carefully read through Blood-Refining Divine Lord: The God-Inviting Method and Strange Accounts of the Founding Emperor's Investiture of the Gods, comparing them line by line. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Wild gods were similar to the mountain spirits and wandering entities of his previous life.

The most famous examples would be the Five Great Immortals of the northeast: fox, weasel, hedgehog, snake, and rat. They were spirits who gained the Way, then became "great immortals" to accumulate merit by helping the common people. But such "immortals" were still wild gods. Their status was undoubtedly low. They were far beneath the true immortals of myth and legend. Just look at Pangu splitting heaven and earth, or Nüwa creating mankind. Powers like that were truly godlike and worthy of the name.

Even someone like the Lord of Heaven-Piercing, who lost the War of Investiture and, in his fury, nearly reset earth, water, fire, and wind to recreate an entire world, stood on a completely different level. Compared to the gods of Blue Star's myths, these wild gods were insignificant. Like the sun and moon beside a candle flame. Like heaven and earth beside an ant. …

"The reason these deities are called 'wild gods' is rooted in the struggle between imperial power and divine authority."

"When the people worship gods, they begin to question imperial rule."

"So this so-called God-Inviting Method works by visualizing a certain being or object, forming a connection with it."

"Eventually, worship is born from that connection. Incense faith is generated, and the object of worship absorbs it. In return, through the God-Inviting Method, it grants power to its followers." Su Zhe closed both books, understanding dawning in his heart. In other words, the Blood-Refining Divine Lord's God-Inviting Method borrowed power from the Blood-Refining Divine Lord. And the decisive factor in cultivating this method—its true measure of strength—was not one's talent or comprehension.

It was the depth of one's devotion, the intensity of one's wish, and the amount of incense faith one offered.

"So it really is an evil art."

"Better not to cultivate it."

"Heaven and earth are indifferent, treating all things as straw dogs. Power that comes too easily is nothing but flowers reflected on water, the moon in a mirror." Su Zhe took a deep breath and suppressed the stirring desire in his heart. Then he stored the God-Inviting Method inside the Immortal Cauldron of Creation. He had seen the Storehouse Keeper use this technique before. The pressure he felt in that instant had been like standing before a being of a higher order of life.

Of course, back then, Su Zhe's martial cultivation had still been weak. If it were now… Even if the Storehouse Keeper used the God-Inviting Method, he would no longer be Su Zhe's match. Naturally, Su Zhe desired power. That was why he had studied the method in the first place. But after understanding the underlying logic of its strength, he felt a chill instead. He feared becoming someone else's pawn.

"The pressure the Storehouse Keeper released back then was very similar to the pressure Wang Hai used against me."

"But there were differences."

"Wang Hai is hiding a major secret." As Su Zhe connected the two events, new doubts emerged in his mind. He thought again of the line in Strange Accounts of the Founding Emperor's Investiture of the Gods: If martial artists cultivate this path alongside their own, it can aid their martial path and help condense a Martial Yang Spirit.

"If the divine path of incense faith truly helps martial cultivation, then the key definitely isn't just the second volume, the God-Inviting Method. Perhaps it lies in the first volume, the Method of Becoming a God. Or maybe both volumes must be cultivated together."

"Unfortunately, with my current level, I already stand at the peak of Lu County."

"Even people at the level of the three great leaders probably can't provide much useful information."

"What exactly is this Martial Yang Spirit? I still need someone to explain the road ahead." Su Zhe sighed. The feeling was deeply frustrating. It was as if he had glimpsed a vast, boundless sky, yet had no doorway to reach it and could not see the path beneath his feet.

"For now, I can only wait for Li Shanyun to return… or perhaps…"

"Perhaps my fortune is strong enough for someone like Uncle-Master Jadebody to take notice of me." Su Zhe steadied his mind and resumed his cultivation. … The moon was bright, and only a few stars dotted the sky. At night, in the wasteland of the Blacksmith Gang, moonlight spilled like water through the trees. A young man stood among the shadows, holding a Tiger-Fiend Saber. His posture was straight and firm, like a pine rooted in stone. Suddenly, he began circulating his power.

True energy surged around him, and the strength of a tiger erupted through his body. A phantom tiger slowly appeared over his arm, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws. It looked majestic and ferocious, as though it might break free from his flesh at any moment. Under the moonlight, saber shadows flashed, cold gleams scattering in every direction. Resolve hardened in the young man's eyes. He swung the Tiger-Fiend Saber and slashed at a massive tree. A dull boom rang out like muffled thunder.

The giant tree, so wide that several people would have been needed to encircle it, was cut down in a single strike. More than that, several nearby trees were swept up by the saber wind and severed at the waist. Their crowns crashed to the ground. Branches rustled, leaves scattered, and startled birds burst into the night sky. When the wind faded, the forest fell silent again. Only the young man remained, standing alone with saber in hand, his figure beneath the moon appearing even more proud and solitary.

"The Fiend-Tiger God-Slaying Saber has finally reached complete mastery. My bones are tempered almost to the limit as well. I'm only one step away from entering the third rank and nurturing a wisp of Fiend-Tiger Force." Yu Yi raised his head and gazed at the bright moon, thinking to himself:"All my senior brothers call me a genius. But compared to him, what am I?" He could not help recalling Su Zhe's figure that day. The heavy hammer had descended. Three beast-force phantoms had appeared, vivid as living creatures.

In martial arts, Yu Yi had lost. In innate talent, Yu Yi had lost. In smithing, Yu Yi had lost. After thinking it through, Yu Yi realized that aside from having good luck and being valued by Wang Shan before even entering the sect, he could not compare to Su Zhe in any way. Of course, Yu Yi was not the only talented disciple in the Blacksmith Gang who felt this way. Xiao Xunhuan, for example, occasionally sank into despair as well. Su Zhe's presence pressed down on them until they could barely breathe.

Fortunately, Xiao Xunhuan knew how to comfort himself. At least in terms of looks, he believed he did not lose to Su Zhe. Yu Yi's thoughts grew heavier. If Su Zhe had been arrogant and insufferable, it would have been easier to resent him. But Su Zhe was gentle, kind, and willing to help others. Yu Yi admired his talent and respected his character even more. That only made the blow harder to bear.

"Brother Su, oh Brother Su…" Yu Yi sheathed his saber, tilted his chin dramatically toward the sky, and murmured to himself.

"Brother Yu, I heard you were urgently looking for me. What is it?" A calm voice came from behind him. Yu Yi spun around in shock, only to find that Su Zhe was standing within three steps of him, smiling kindly. Yu Yi sucked in a sharp breath.

"Brother Su approached within three steps of me without making a sound, and I didn't sense him at all. Has his cultivation improved again?" His heart trembled, and cold sweat slid down his forehead. Only after a long moment did Yu Yi steady himself. His brows drew tight, anxiety showing plainly on his face as he said in a low voice,"Brother Su, leave Lu County. Someone wants to kill you. Run—now!"

"If you wait any longer, it may be too late."